


Sometimes, the Hat Works

by hotguyhawkeye



Series: Reader/Peter: Better Together [1]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Pre-Relationship, Reader is new to Midtown, Reader-Insert, Spider-Man Homecoming spoilers, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 10:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11507700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotguyhawkeye/pseuds/hotguyhawkeye
Summary: Reader is relatively new to Midtown High, and in the wake of the scandal around Liz's dad, she gets tired of hearing Flash Thompson being rude to Peter; after months of practically being invisible, she slips, and makes herself known - by sticking up for Ned and Peter.





	Sometimes, the Hat Works

**Author's Note:**

> I don't usually do reader-insert, (even though I read a lot of it), but I've been dying to write _anything_ and this just...came out. Unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own.

You weren’t exactly _new_ at Midtown when all the stuff with Liz’s dad went down, but you hadn’t been there very long either. The previous semester, your dad had gotten a new job in Manhattan, but since you had three other siblings – two of whom were younger than you, and therefore still being cared for by your parents – you couldn’t afford any fancy apartments near your dad’s work, and Midtown High was the best public school in reasonable distance for you to attend. So, in the middle of your freshman year, you had to pack up everything, say goodbye to everyone you knew, and try to slip into an already established social hierarchy without being called out for your newbie status. You liked to joke to your younger siblings that you were basically an enemy spy, blending in among their ranks; with how unnoticed you’d gone, you must have been double-fucking-oh-seven, because literally nobody even blinked at your sudden presence.

So when everything went tits up almost six months later, and the school was abuzz with gossip about Liz’s dad turning out to be some kind of supervillain, you just shrugged your backpack a little higher on your shoulder and went to class as if it was any other day. You still hadn’t gotten around to making friends with anyone, least of all Liz Allan, so it didn’t really feel like your place to have any sort of opinion on the matter. If anything, you felt sorry for her; she always seemed so happy and comfortable in her life, and it can’t have been easy for it to be uprooted by the revelations surrounding her dad. Hell, you thought you had a hard time just having to _move_ because of your dad – you couldn’t even _imagine_ what you would have felt if your dad had turned out to be like, Dr. Doom or something.

The gossip about Liz and her family died down after a few days without her – you heard she and her mom had moved clear across the country, which _was_ a pain you could identify with – and eventually everyone started talking about other things. Flash was still going on about what a dick Peter Parker was, both by resurrecting the “Penis Parker” nickname, and by reminding everyone how he had abandoned Liz at the dance on the very night her dad was arrested. You didn’t know Peter very well, but you had a strange feeling things weren’t as clear cut as Flash wanted them to seem. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, you didn’t say anything, because you were doing really well at staying unseen at school, and you didn’t want to ruin it.

That is, until the day you literally couldn’t stop yourself. You were at your locker, switching out your textbooks before the lunch period came to an end, when you heard Peter and his friend Ned talking at their lockers. You smiled softly to yourself, realizing they were debating – again – over which Indiana Jones movie was the best one. Ned mumbled something about how he was the _true_ authority on it between the two of them, since he was the one who owned the replica hat, and Peter let out a laugh that filled you with butterflies for reasons you didn’t want to think about. As you packed your last textbook into your backpack and made to close your locker, you heard a slam somewhere to your left; when you turned to look, you saw Flash’s hand on Ned’s locker door, and an ugly smirk on his face. Whatever was about to go down wasn’t going to be good, and without even thinking about it, you shut your own locker and shuffled over slowly.

”What’s up, Penis? Ned? Got any hot plans tonight? Oh, wait, of course you don’t. One of you is destined to be a virgin forever, and the other is Ned,” Flash said, his smirk deepening as his friends laughed over his shoulder. “There _is_ a party tonight, at Cindy’s, and I’m sure she’d invite you guys, except for the fact that Cindy has good taste.”

Before you thought it all the way through, you were cutting in, saying, “I don’t know about that, Flash. I mean, she invited you, didn’t she?” You cocked your head to one side, brow furrowed, and pursed your lips. “Maybe it’s just me, but I would think any women with discerning taste wouldn’t want to be associated with a boy known for being _fast_.”

Everyone’s mouths fell open, while Flash’s clamped shut; he pulled his hand off Ned’s locker, and abruptly walked away, his minions following in his wake. Ned was looking at you with something akin to hero-worship, and Peter looked at you like you were a really intense chem equation he was dead-set on solving. You smiled at them and shrugged, tugging your backpack into a more comfortable position as you went to walk away. Before you could fully escape, Peter’s hand darted out and grabbed your wrist.

”Why are you helping me?” he asked, his voice softer than you’d ever heard it.

Your face warmed, and you willed it to not be completely red as you shrugged and said, “It felt like the right thing to do. Flash is a massive asshole, and you two seem sweet.” Peter dropped your wrist awkwardly, as if he just realized he was still holding it, and nodded. “Oh, and Ned? Everyone _says_ Lost Ark is the best, but we all know in our hearts that the best Indy is obviously The Last Crusade,” you whispered conspiratorially. Ned’s jaw dropped again, and you winked at him before walking away quickly.

That afternoon, you went to put your books back in your locker as usual, and found yourself frowning at the ground as you watched a folded note flutter to your feet. Cautiously, you picked it up and unfolded it, a look on your face as if you anticipated the note would self-destruct or attack you in some way. The scrawl inside was only mildly familiar to you, but enough so that you didn’t think it would be anything bad. As you read, a smile slowly crept onto your face.

> _Yo, did you know I had to ask like, four teachers for your name before someone knew who I was talking about, and even then, they gave me conflicting responses? You do a good impression of a wallflower, but I think it’s time you break that. My man Peter doesn’t know I’m doing this, and it’d be cool if you didn’t tell him, but I think you should come with us to the Indiana Jones marathon tonight; he needs some cheering up, and what better way to do that than in the presence of a pretty lady who’s also a total nerd?! It’s at the Smithsonian, and it’s totally on me if you show. We definitely owe you for today.  
>  Ned_

You glanced around to make sure neither Ned nor Peter were around to see you before you sighed and held the note tight to your chest. Maybe being invisible wasn’t all it was cracked up to be – especially if having friends felt like this. You carefully folded the note, put it in your pocket, and pulled out your phone to text your mom and tell her you had plans tonight and not to wait up. She responded almost immediately, and said to "have fun, be safe, and call if you need a lift." With a smile, you stowed your backpack in your locker and headed outside, running to catch up with Ned and Peter, both of whom greeted you with wide smiles and accepted your looping your arms through theirs. You weren't quite used to the things you were feeling, but you were pretty sure this was what it felt like to actually belong somewhere.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a kudos or a comment if you liked it! If you want any sort of continuation, definitely let me know! Thanks for reading!


End file.
